The Guardians
by Weaver Chance
Summary: Allen defeats the Earl but dies in the process, he knows the Earl will revive again after another few hundred years and wants to give Lenalee his answer so he makes a deal to become a Guardian to return to her side, accepting that there will be issues...


This is just a random thing I put together, please tell me if it floats!!!

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The war was over for the time being.

The Earl had been defeated though his influence still remained, and thus it was entirely possible that he could return to this world after several thousand years passed.

Definitely not in her lifetime though, and as such she was more focused on the fact that the effort had cost one Allen Walker his life. His Innocence wouldn't rebuild his body as hers had done for her because his mission was now over, and as the Heart's Accomodater his was the only piece able to save someone like that anyway.

Leverrier acted as if it was all his doing when in truth his plans caused everyone unnessasary suffering, Lenalee knew in her gut that if anyone else at the Order was incharge then a great deal of that suffering would have been avoided and they still would have won.  
Allen had been dead for three days now, his body was kept in a freezer because so many people were still not ready to say goodbye to him completely, herself chief amungst them. Two weeks before she had finally admitted to herself (and her brother) that she was in love with him and she didn't know if he even heard her when she finally said so the Allen himself just as he slipped from life.

Allen had indeed heard but could do nothing about it before he found himself floating in an erry space that was simultaniously solid, liquid, gas, tiny enclosed, and vastly open. The inability to accurately define where he was unsettled him, even Road's Dreams had more reality than this space.

Suddenly some of the constantly shifting space took on a much more stable appearance, that of a person. A body and face of a man of roughly twenty years but with a pair of stormy eyes that seemed so much older, the man's eyes seemed to suggest that he had played roles in the destruction and birth of many things; from insignificant insects to vast universes.

"Excuse me," Allen tentatively addressed the being "could you tell me where I am?"

"At a crossroads, a borderline, everywhere and nowhere, and in the exact middle of my backyard all at once is where you are," The figure replied before turning his stormy gaze on Allen for the first time then continued "Allen Walker you are at a very painful choice."

Allen was more confused by the answer than by the person somehow knowing his name, it was that sort of place after all, and decided to first ask the figure name then about whatever this choice was. The man smiled and before Allen could say a word answered both.

"I have many names, but here I go by Dragon Alterum. As to your other concern, the choice you must make is this: To set yourself on the lonely path and protect, or To await your companions in the afterlife."  
"I don't understand surely I'd have to go back to protect and then I'd be with my friends again. How is that a lonely path?" Dragon smiled at Allen's query.

"Those who have died generally can't die again."

Allen pondered that, trying to work out what Dragon could mean.

Lenalee was in her room again, the door was locked and barred, she was once more crying over Allen while cursing the man she was hiding from, the one who got a sick pleasure out of causing pain, something that more and more people were beginning to notice now that the war was over. Leverrier often sought her out to torment her over Allen's death and her own past under his '_care_'.

Allen heard crying and somehow knew that it was Lenalee. He turned to Dragon.

"Death is freedom from all torment?" Dragon gave a single nod as answer. Nodding himself Allen finally reached his decision. "Then as long as she is alive she'll need comfort and protection from the torments that life harbours. Send me back."

"What I am about to do will increase your own powers greatly, and at the same time give you a lifeforce to rival the sun, sickness and injury will not be able to restrain you and you will be older than the planet you walk apon, and the two of us will not meet again until it is time for you to stop" Dragon told Allen before doing something that shocked Allen to his very core, Dragon had split his own sternum and opened up his chest. Allen was further amazed when a simple glance and gesture caused his own chest to open in a similar manner.

Allen felt stifled and surrounded when Dragon approached him, and watched in morbid fasination as Dragon swapped hearts with him before closing both their chests and backing away again.

"Take care of that," Dragon informed him "I'll want it back some day, but not for a very long time I think. Now- AWAKE!"

Leverrier had finally forced them to proceed with the Order's now defunct protocol and have Allen cremated and had somehow forced Lenalee to attend.

Reever, Johnny, Sixty-Five and Komui had just pulled Allen out of cold-storage when he suddenly took a deep breath and sat up. He stretched and everyone heard several joints crack, and then he opened his eyes.

Allen's silver eyes now had an all new depth and incredible to them.

Leverrier who had positioned himself so as to watch and gloat over every aspect of the expected proceedings was the first to receive Allen's new gaze.

Consequently, before anyone could realise just what was happening, Allen was in front of Leverrier and holding him in the air with one hand.

"You WILL stay far away from Lenalee, or _else!_" were the first words Allen uttered after returning from the dead. He allowed a few moments for his message to sink in past the palpable shock filling the room before he tossed Leverrier bodily through the door, still only using his right hand.

Allen's deep silver eyes softened as they cast about the room's remaining occupants, it was clear he had an extended silent discussion with Komui in the brief moment their eyes were locked, before he deliberately, as if he knew she was there all along, turned his gaze to Lenalee and gave her a quick genuine smile and said-

"Lenalee..., I love you too, Lenalee."

All in the room heard the profound truth in that one statement even if they didn't know just what he gave up so that he could protect her.

There was another brief moment of stillness before Lenalee tackled him with all the force her fully activated Innocense could achieve and yet Allen barely had to adjust his stance as he wrapped his arms around her in return.

"I bet Komui wasn't entirely happy with that."

"Well, Truth be told he ended up ruining the shirt I was wearing at the time, but could only stare in shock as his drill destroyed itself trying to pierce my skin, I was shocked myself when I saw it, I wasn't expecting Dragon's gift to have that kind of effect."

Allen and Lenalee ended up getting married soon after Allen's resurrection and kept in touch with all surviving members of the former Order, which Allen told Lenalee was a good use for the Arc.

They had three children: two girls and a boy, the boy being the middle child, all three children had their mother's rich eye colour only veined with silver and dark hair that developed platinum-white streaks by the time they each reached fifteen years.

Time passed and the members of the former Order slowly died off until the only ones left were the Guardian Fou and Allen Walker himself, and Allen knew that these were the 'lonely years' that Dragon had warned him about.

The Walker-Lee family line eventually dubbed Allen as their family Guardian and as each generation passed they eventually forgot that he had actually started the family himself though the proof was still there in the eyes with veins of silver and the streaks of platinum-white hair that had become classical family features, though the silver in the eye was substantially more famous as it granted the Walker-Lees with amazing vision related abilities, the more silver in the iris the greater the individuals abilities.

Allen and Fou would arrange to meet often in their advancing years to remember everyone they'd ever met in their eternal lives.

And all the while Allen stayed on guard, ready to banish the Earl the very moment he returned before he could gather enough power to be a threat until at last the Earl grew tired of trying.

Finally the day arrived, and as promised, Dragon appeared.

"Come it is time to rest, both of you."

Fou looked up at Dragon then turned to Allen.

"This him then?" she asked.

He merely nodded, not needing to look as he felt his own heart still pulsing in the other mans chest.

"Come you both have quite a few people waiting for you to join them."

The two Old-Souls looked at each other, nodded, stood and walked over to join the Ancient-Soul and left the dying world to it's fate.

As soon as the feeling of transition had passed Allen felt that his own heart was somehow back in his own chest and that the place they were now in was somehow familiar. He was further amazed when he was able to tell that just a few steps to his left was the place he had been standing in when he had first met Dragon.

Gradually distinct scenary began to form and as it did a crowd of people appeared. _Familiar_ people, specifically his many descendants, many of which looked at him with fresh awe. No doubt because here they could discover that he was indeed their ancestor, infact as more and more people joined the growing crowd Allen and Fou could clearly see that each new arrival was from further back than the ones before them.

It took quite some but eventually the old Order members started to appear and Allen quickly rushed forward to meet them, or rather to meet the dark blur of a very familiar flying tackle.

They spun around each other laughing and enhaling the scent of the one they missed the most till they collapsed on the ground still producing the occassional giggle.

"I've missed you!" they both said at exactly the same time causing themselves and everyone around them to burst out with joyous laughter.

At the very edge of the crowd a youngish-looking man with stormy eyes smiled. "Enjoy your rest, Allen and Lenalee, you have earned it." then he turned and walked away, vanishing into the mists.

One Universe had come to and end and thus its' Heroes were given the peace they deserved, but Dragon still has work to do and there are still an endless number of other Universes out there many of which will need his help at some point or other.

Yes Dragon still had a great deal of work to do, just as he had many names attached to him, but as long as he got to help Soulmates find each other he was content, well maybe if someone would do the same for him.

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Please R&R!!!!  
I'm sorry for being distracted but I NEED external forces to motivate me to do anything, if you want more of my stories (Breath of Fire, DGray-Man, or any other) then you MUST REVIEW, Also if anyone is willing to Beta for any of my stories please tell me, I think I need a new one for my BoF fic as comunication with my old beta has degenerated.  
I say again: PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!


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